There may be some glass-half-empty predictions for alcohol categories, but the future is looking positive for the spirits industry. Globally, spirits sales have increased by 1.5% to 2.4bn nine-litre cases, and sales are expected to increase over the next five years to a retail value of £282bn while other alcoholic drinks have remained flat or declining.

Lifestyle trends, as well as cocktail culture are playing a major role in driving the popularity of spirits, especially as consumers are increasingly searching for the latest cocktail to drink - and more importantly to be seen drinking.

Plus today’s consumers are more educated and passionate about what they’re drinking, and spirits is a great category to get people away from their comfort zone.

Yet one of the biggest challenges for spirits to overcome is that people often feel scared because there is so much variety.

However, this could represent an opportunity for spirits brands as they could play a role in helping demystify the category and help consumers with finding their new favourite drink – through education and inspiration.

Snacking is an £18 billion category, growing at 0.3% in value. At the risk of playing buzzword bingo, there's no way to avoid the 'M' word when it comes to this topic. The fact is that millennials have been a huge factor in the snacking revolution. The change they've brought to lifestyles and social attitudes have not only seen us snacking more often, but significantly changed the snacks we eat. "Protenin Balls", pea snacks and beef jerky are the new normal.

Does this spell doom and gloom for out traditional sugary favourites? Not exactly, no.

Here we'll look at why people are choosing healthier options when it comes to snacking, but also why we believe traditional snacks still have a bright future if they evolve.

One by one the retail behemoths are falling. Woolworths, HMV, BHS, House of Fraser, Toys R Us, Maplin: the list goes on. The high street is facing annihilation. Media is fragmenting at pace. Millennials are ambivalent about marketing. So, what the hell do we do?

Against this backdrop we believe brands, marketers and agencies will only thrive if they focus laser-like on one KPI – sales. Unless people are buying, everything we do is just wasted noise. We must all question how every activity, and every pound spent, is helping to deliver sales.

This new research aims to tell brands and agencies what people think about marketing, and how they want to be sold to, in the modern era. To understand which tools work hardest and where best to spend. To gauge emerging consumer mindsets and how they want to relate to brands.

You’ve checked in (online, days ago). You’ve got all your toiletries into one plastic bag (and not a spill in sight). You’re through, it’s time to relax. With ‘Monopoly’ holiday money burning a hole in your chinos.

Or at least, so the theory goes. Airport retailers benefit from a unique state of mind called the ’37 minutes of happiness’. The feeling we all get once we hit the Departures lounge, before our flight becomes ready to board.

However…most of us rush off to buy food and drink for the flight – that’s 15 minutes gone. Then we'll pop to the loo. And with improved efficiency in check in/boarding, it’s only actually 30 minutes to begin with. In reality, only 16% of flyers buy anything.

As lead agency for global travel retailer Dufry, at Live & Breathe we work daily to close the conversion gap in airports. Here are our top six tips for selling success in this unique retail environment.

Popping bottles, cruising in flash cars and toting expensive handbags (with six month-plus waiting lists)…no, it’s not an episode of beloved Noughties MTV show, Cribs. It’s how (until fairly recently) we’ve all thought about ‘premium’ products and experiences. But attitudes are changing – and so must brands change with them.

We’ve identified the two factors driving this change, and we’ve got four recommendations for staying front of mind in this new age of premium.